Tag: Bible

The Value of a Valuable Bible

Last week I bought the most expensive Bible I have ever purchased.

Last week I bought the most expensive Bible I have ever purchased. It is the Crossway ESV Heirloom Legacy Bible. You can get one here if you are so inclined. It retails for $275, but it was on sale. I had some money saved up for the possibility of getting it.

I don’t normally make purchases like this. There are so many cheaper options. We don’t even need physical bible’s anymore. We can read the bible in any translation we want in a matter of seconds on our smart devices. However, I am starting to wonder about the wisdom of that. I have come to realize that there is something wonderful in holding God’s word in my hands.

I had been considering buying an heirloom bible for quite a while. So, I finally bit the bullet and got it. The main reason I wanted a “heirloom” bible is so that I could gift it to my girls. It is going to be one that I will read, write in, and pass on to them. I will be getting a second bible (later on though) to be able to gift one to both of my children.

It is a beautiful bible. It is an amazing work of craftmanship. It feels great in my hands, which is a plus, and I look forward to reading it for years to come.

But, there is something that has happened as I have been reading from it over the last week. It really is something rather odd. Something I did not anticipate or even expect. I have come to value the fact of having a bible more because of this purchase. I cherish having access to the Scriptures; having the privilege of reading God’s very words to me more because of the value of the bible.

The quality of the materials has heightened my awareness of my need to see the scriptures as having far greater worth than I normally ascribe to them. (I feel bad even writing that last line. But, it’s true.) This rather ordinary decision has elevated my sense of the worth of the words that these physical materials convey to me. I did not expect that. But, it happened.

We have such a privilege in America to have access to God’s word. We have so much access that we actually take it for granted. I give thanks to God for opening my eyes to this terrible oversight. It should not have taken buying a valuable bible to see the value of the Bible. But it did.

I want to challenge you to grab your bible right now, to hold it in your hands and give God thanks for allowing you to have access to his word. Don’t take it for granted!

Book Review | Sola Scriptura!: The Protestant Position on the Bible

Sola Scriptura!: The Protestant Position on the Bible
Sola Scriptura!: The Protestant Position on the Bible by Don Kistler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Throughout Sola Scriptura the authors expound on what the authors argue is the key principle of The Reformation. The book compares and contrasts the Protestant doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture for faith and life and what the Roman Catholic Church believes regarding Scripture, Tradition, and the role of the Church in the life of Catholic faith.

The Good
Each of the articles provides a clear explanation of Sola Scriptura and why it is important. The author(s) of each of the essays also do a good job of carefully representing the Catholic position by not cherry picking the “worst” examples from the “other side” and then blasting them for being wrong.

The final chapter does a great job challenging pastors/ministers responsible for leading churches to encourage a more bibliocentric approach in the life of the Church and individual believers. Sections pointing to and calling for a more Scripture-centered, gospel-saturated pulpit ministry were particularly challenging and worthy of another reading.

The Bad
At times the arguments were very dense.The comparisons between the two positions became difficult to follow and required a second reading. So, the reader should read carefully. The book is more academic on the whole, so this is less a criticism and more a point of information for those who decide to read it.

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Book Review | Translating Truth: The Case for Essentially Literal Bible Translation

This collection of essays does a good job of making the case for the “essentially literal” Bible translation philosophy.

Translating Truth: The Case for Essentially Literal Bible Translation
Translating Truth: The Case for Essentially Literal Bible Translation by Wayne A. Grudem
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Good
This collection of essays does a good job of making the case for the “essentially literal” Bible translation philosophy. I found the arguments compelling. The first three essays are worth the purchase of the book. The strongest case for the “essentially literal” approach are clearly presented.

The Bad
Making the case for a word-for-word philosophy does not need to descend into accusations of malpractice on the part of those that do not follow this approach. Grudem’s essay (the first essay) did this a few times (four or five times). It was unnecessary.

The final two essays were a little more technical and not as helpful. While these two did tease out the practical implementation of an essentially literal approach, it was a little hard to follow.

That being said, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a clear and concise argument FOR the essentially literal translation approach.

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The Anchor of Truth amidst the Storms of Tragedy

As I was perusing my Facebook feed one of the ministers I know asked, what I believe, is an important question. He was wondering if any of his pastor friends would be saying/addressing the tragedy in Charleston in some way, if at all this coming up Sunday. This is an ongoing conversation so, there is not consensus yet, but it is worth noting that there is no right answer here. At least in my mind.

Each pastor and, by extension, each person who hears about and considers the events at the Emanuel AME Church will respond according to how the news affected them. The range of human emotions is as varied as the faces upon each persons head. The reality is that how we respond is the cumulative product of our experiences and our beliefs. If there is anything I have learned in life is how true this is.

The key to navigating the waters of life is having a means of charting your course. For sailors it was the stars. They learned to identify the formations above them and then correct their direction. The same is also true for us. When we are adrift and in search of our bearings we have to look up and set our minds on things above. We have to take our eyes off what is front of us and around us to catch our breath and regain our composure.

Tragedy has a way of throwing our lives off-kilter. The only way to regain our balance is to put our hands on something solid, something sure. For me that is the Word of God. The word of God is the anchor of truth I rely on when the storms begin to rage. Turning to the truth of who God is and what he has done in and through Jesus is what provides the ballast and stability required to weather the storm.

Tragedy has a way of bringing issues and problems into greater relief. We all have an opportunity to grow wiser, become more loving, and extend greater grace when we turn to God rather than our own wisdom. My prayer is that I do not miss the chance to increase my sensitivity to what God is saying about himself and his word. The promise we have is that every storm will pass. The question is this: Will we learn from the present one to better prepare and handle the next?

Is God’s Word Enough For You?

This morning I witnessed something very interesting. My father, who is also the pastor of my church, read the letter to the Colossians. That’s it. He said a few words before and a few words after, but the whole of the message was the simple reading of the letter.

As I watched the reactions of the various people, I noticed that many followed along for a few verses. Most, however, simply began to listen to the reading. I think many were surprised by the fact that nothing was added to the actual reading. There was no commentary, no explanation, no illustrations, or applications. The Word spoke for itself.

bible-reading

I have become an advocate of reading the Bible the way it was written. Instead of trying to study what other people have said, I have taught people to read the Word of God and engage in it as if it were a conversation. A dialogue with God, using the words on the page to serve as the other side of the exchange.

I think the funniest reaction occurred when, after our early service, I walked out and asked some of those attending, “Is the scripture not enough?” Most of the people laughed at the thought, but I have to wonder if there is something to this. Have we trained our members to rely on the pastors preaching to sustain them? Have we, somehow, drawn people away from God and his Word by not teaching them how to engage and interact with the scriptures?

I guess the question that I have to ask myself is this: Have we become so accustomed to the extra words of the preacher that we are not satisfied with the Words of God? There is no doubt that people are become far more biblically illiterate. Many who come and sit in churches each week do not see the Bible as something they can handle on their own.

I think about the privilege we are afforded to have access to the scriptures in our own language. I think of the many who sacrificed over the centuries to make this opportunity possible.

This morning I was given a real life example. We all must remember that God’s word is the only thing we have to sustain and instruct us on this journey of faith. It really must be enough.

Reading as Conversation: Learning to Hear the Voice of God Today (Pt. 1)

If you believe in God, then you have asked yourself some variation of this question: How can I know what God wants for or from me?

Another way the question has been asked is, “Is it possible for me to hear God’s voice today?” The implication being that God no longer speaks with people like he seemingly did in the Bible. I think the short answer to the question is this, God does speak today. We are just don’t know how to hear him.

One of the issues we have when reading the Bible is that we lose the sense of time. The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years. God was not “talking” every day. This is one of the misconceptions we have to get rid of if we are going to hear from God in our own lives. God’s use of audible declarations were rare occurrences. The problem is not whether God speaks, it’s figuring out if we are tuning into the right station. Some of the assumptions we have about how God communicates have to change if we are going to gain clarity in discerning his presence and will for our lives.
Continue reading “Reading as Conversation: Learning to Hear the Voice of God Today (Pt. 1)”

You are a New Creation: In Search of a Stronger Theology of Spiritual Formation (Part 2)

In Part 1 of our search we discussed how spiritual formation should be holistic. What this means, at least for me, is that we talk about human nature and the human experience in a more biblical manner. The Bible assumes the physical and spiritual realities of humanity in a unified, indivisible way; seeing no contradiction between the two. What is even more interesting to me is that in the person of Jesus we are confronted with a divine person who took on flesh and became like created man. The mystery and profundity of this could take an eternity to explore.
Continue reading “You are a New Creation: In Search of a Stronger Theology of Spiritual Formation (Part 2)”

Thoughts on Interpreting Scripture

The process of reading, interpreting and ultimately understanding what the Bible says ought to be the greatest priority of the follower of Jesus.

I am reading through some material that has been sitting on my desk (and floor, for that matter) and interacting with it. I will be doing this more often over the next few weeks. This will give me a way of putting this information on the site and providing a way to search through a lot of material quickly.

I came across this article by R. C. Sproul, Sr., in Tabletalk Magazine. In it Dr. Sproul is looking at how do we interact and interpret the Bible. The following reflections and quotation page numbers are taken from the January 2011 magazine.

Two Principles to Govern Interpretation

1. The Analogy of Faith: This is the idea that scripture is its own interpreter. What this means on a practical level is that a through investigation of what the Bible has to say on a subject should be done before any exploration of other sources.

2. “Sensus literalis“: This does not mean that “every text in the Scriptures is given a “woodenly literal” interpretation, but rather that we must interpret the Bible in the sense in which it is written” (6). What this means is that we do not violate the laws of grammar or genre in order to arrive at an understanding of what the text says. Sproul makes this plainly clear.

“Though the Bible is not like any other book in that is carries with it the authority of divine inspiration, nevertheless, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit over a written text does not turn verbs into nouns or nouns into verbs. No special, secret, arcane, esoteric meaning is pourted into a text simply because it’s divinely inspiried. … No, the Bible is to be interpreted according to the ordinary rules of language.” (6-7)

At the heart of this principle is the idea that we start with what we know and understand and then trying to make sense of those areas that are not as clear. In order to treat the Bible as a cohesive text we have to maintain that sense as we engage it. To do otherwise is to violate the integrity of the message that the bible contains. Sproul provided this clarifying thought. “Though we affirm the basic clarity of the sacred Scripture, we do not at the same time say that all passage are equally clear” (7).

The process of reading, interpreting and ultimately understanding what the Bible says ought to be the greatest priority of the follower of Jesus. These two principles are helpful guides as you study.

Let me know if you agree with Dr. Sproul or not…

“Faith is…” Series, Pt. 11 | Faith is… Standing on the Word of God

“1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, KJV)

This is, according to Paul’s own understanding, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the things that I am amazed by is that there are a lot of things “missing” from what we have commonly come to believe the Gospel is. There are many things that we must understand about the Gospel, but these come after we have received this simple message and believed what it says.

There are four key aspects that Paul says must be present in order for the Gospel to be “THE” Gospel. Those four revolve around the resurrection of Jesus.

  1. Christ Died
  2. Christ was Buried
  3. Christ rose again on the third day
  4. All this is was done “according to the scriptures.”

Over the last several months I have been coming back to this simple definition of the Gospel. I think that I have found that many time the message that proclaims the redemption of the human soul is not complicated. It is profound. The heart of the Christian faith is a miracle of unprecedented proportions. The entire Christian faith depends on the resurrection being true. If there is no resurrection there is nothing. Paul tells as much when he explains that if Jesus did not rise from the grave, then we all should be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). If any point of the resurrection account is questioned the entire thing falls apart.

Let’s take a few moments to look at each of these.

1. Christ Died

There are many who do not believe that Jesus actually died. The mystery of God becoming a man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth has been a point of contention for many people. But, to think that God would allow himself to be subjected to the humiliation and horror of death is not something that many are willing to accept. What we have to realize is that if Jesus did not die, we cannot live! His death had to be real and total.

2. Christ was Buried

The death of Jesus was like every other dead. It was total and complete. There was no life left in Jesus body. If it were not true, then Jesus would not be able to provide for us what we needed. Without a substitutionary death, I would not be able to experience the fullness of Christ’s life in me. The reason I can share in Christ’s righteousness is because he fully, completely and perfectly shared in my death.

3. Christ rose again on the third day

If Jesus did not come out of that grave, there is no hope of heaven and fellowship with our heavenly Father. Jesus comforted the disciples by telling them that he was going to prepare a place for them (John 14:1-3). When was that going to take place? After his death and resurrection! That is why the disciples could not make sense of what Jesus was saying. They wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus let them know that the path that was laid out for him was not one that they could travel with him.

4. All this is was done “according to the scriptures.”

Of the four aspects of the Gospel that are necessary, this last one stands out. It stands out becuase Paul is essentially saying that God has staked his reputation and his “worthiness” as God on his ability to predict and fulfill the resurrection. Everything that happened to Jesus happened exactly how God said that it would. Everything that the Bible has to say about anything hinges on the Resurrection of Jesus having taken place! That seems like a big risk unless it actually happened.

As we have traveled on this exploration of faith, I have found that many times we do not understand the place of God’s Word in the development of faith. God’s provides his word to us to verify and to support everything that he is doing in, through and around us. Whenever we forgo using the word of God as God designed we will find that what we are trying may not work as well as we have planned.

I am thankful that God has awakened me to a this powerful truth. The Word of God, all of the the scriptures are not only sufficient for all that I need, they were designed to fulfill my every need in preparing me for living a life of faith. Paul tells Timothy to never lose sight of this amazing reality.

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16, ESV)

With each passing day I grow more convinced that the reason the Word of God does not have the effects that it describes is not because it does not work, but because we do not allow it work in us.

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